Mathematical rules and equations can help us get new perspectives on our world, but sometimes can be difficult to comprehend. This week, stories about how maths has helped the understanding of a enigmatic quirk of heart rate control and how crafts can be used to better understand maths.
Jeannette McLeod, Maths Craft director, at the festival in Christchurch Photo: RNZ/Katy Gosset
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A new perspective
Alona Ben Tal at her desk in the Mathematics Department at Massey University Albany. Photo: RNZ/Claire Concannon
Alona Ben Tal was sure that her mathematics experiment would be a simple check to confirm an existing idea about heart rate control. When the modelling proved that the existing theory couldn't be true, it instead uncovered new insights into how heart rate is regulated during breathing.
An Associate Professor at the Mathematics Department at Massey University, and a member of the Manaaki Mānawa Centre for Heart Research at Auckland University, Alona uses mathematical modelling to get a new perspective on puzzles about how the heart and lungs work and interact.
Getting crafty about teaching maths
For some it’s the scary subject at school but more New Zealanders are rediscovering maths, thanks to a crafty approach by local mathematicians.
Maths Craft uses creative skills such as knitting, crochet and origami to demonstrate the mathematical patterns and concepts that are all around us.
Katy Gosset visits one of the group’s festivals in Christchurch.
Hinke Osinga and Bernd Krauskopf with the crocheted Lorenz Manifold. Photo: RNZ/Katy Gosset
Want to listen to more?
Our Changing World has a great back catalogue of mathematics related episodes, some are listed here.
- For Maths, models & insights into the coronavirus pandemic Alison Ballance spoke with Associate Professor Alex James about creating mathematical models for complex systems.
- What bird is that? is about collaboration between mathematicians and biologists to develop computer software that can recognise bird calls.
- In The significance of statistics University of Otago science communication student Ellen Ozarka, explores the funnily named p-value or probability-value.
- Maths professor Mark McGuinness is featured in a short episode about muesli and sea ice (2016) as well as one about lumpy volcanic eruptions (2013).
To find more, use the search tab on the home Our Changing World page and type in maths.
